Good Grief, Arthur!
by Owennumber1fan
Summary: As part of a summer competition, Arthur and friends host another baseball team. But Charlie Brown and friends have never seen a place like Elwood City.
1. It's the Summer Series, Charlie Brown

(I'm surprised nobody thought of this before, given the similarities between the two).

"Have you ever thought about what it would be like to have a twin?" Arthur asked aloud. "Sometimes I think it might be cool. For example, I'd have someone just like me to do things with."

In Arthur's bedroom, two identical Arthurs were sitting on the floor playing checkers.

"King me" Arthur #1 said.

"That was a great game" replied Arthur #2 "can we play another one?"

"Of course" Arthur #1 replied.

"And going to school would be easy, cause only one of us would have to go."

"Now class, today we're going to learn about the mating habits of the praying mantis" Mr. Ratburn said.

While the rest of the class (including Arthur #2) groaned, over at the Elwood City library, Arthur #1 was happily reading a book.

"And watching TV wouldn't be such a hassle"

In the Read family living room, D.W. was watching _Mary Moo Cow _when Arthur #1 came in and grabbed the remote.

"Hey, give that back or I'll tell mom!" D.W said.

"Sorry D.W., but I want to watch _Dark Bunny_" Arthur #1 replied "but let's put it to a vote. Who wants to watch _Mary Moo Cow?" _D.W raised her hand, "and who wants to watch _Dark Bunny?" _

Suddenly, the second Arthur appeared "I do," he said, his hand raised.

"Sorry D.W., but you've been outvoted" Arthur #1 replied.

"Stupid democrazy" D.W. muttered as she left the room.

Arthur's twin fantasy ended and he returned to reality, standing in front of the mirror of the bathroom.

"Yeah, having a twin could be really fun" he said, "and last week, I kind of had one. And it was one of the strangest weeks of my life."

Then he looked in the mirror, only to see that instead of his normal reflection, a round headed boy with very little hair was looking back at him.

"Aaah!" Arthur screamed.

"Aaah!" screamed the boy.

Good Grief, Arthur!

---

It was a beautiful summer day in Elwood City and Arthur and friends were gathered together on the baseball field. The team today consisted of Arthur, Buster, Francine, Binky, Sue Ellen, Fern, Brain, & George.

"Good news everybody" Oliver Frensky eagerly addressed his team "I've enrolled us in the Summer Series baseball tournament."

"What's that?" Arthur asked.

"Basically, it's a tournament sponsored by the local towns" Mr. Frensky explained, "it allows down on their luck amateur teams, like ours, a chance to play against each other."

"We're not down on our luck" Francine replied.

"We lost 15 games to Mighty Mountain last season" Arthur told her.

"Well we would've won more if Buster could throw" Francine grumbled, "or if Fern could catch."

"Now Frankie, what have I said about insulting your fellow teammates?"

"Everyone on the team is important, regardless of how well they play" Francine replied, in a bored voice.

"That's right. Now then, another team will be arriving here tomorrow. Since the members won't have anywhere to stay, I've talked to your parents about letting them stay with some of you."

A collective groan went up from those assembled.

"Where is this team coming from?" Brain inquired.

"Not really sure on that one" Mr. Frensky replied, "I'll get back to you. Anyway, I hope all of you will open your homes to the players. See you tomorrow for practice."

As the kids walked off, Francine approached Arthur & Buster.

"So what do you think this new team is like?" she asked.

"I dunno" Arthur replied, "but if they're 'down on their luck', like us, it should be a very interesting game."

"And we might finally win for once" Francine added.

"Not unless they're a team of undercover alien agents, sent here to learn baseball as part of a scheme to undermine national security" Buster piped in.

"Oh brother" Francine groaned, "I hope these kids aren't like you."

---

Meanwhile, several towns away, the captain of the aforementioned team was preparing to leave. He was known as Charlie Brown, and he was excited to play against another team that was nearly as bad as his. But he had no idea what awaited him the next day.

"What's going on, big brother?" Sally Brown asked, as she watched him pack.

"My team got selected for the Summer Series" Charlie Brown explained "it allows amateur baseball teams, with bad records, to compete against each other."

"That's nice" Sally said, "who are you going to be competing against?"

"I'm not sure" Charlie Brown replied, "all I know is they live in a place called Elwood City."

"Why is it called that? Does it have lots of Elwoods?" Sally asked.

"I'm not sure" Charlie Brown replied. Having finished packing his bag, he made his out of his room "I'll send you a postcard when I get the chance."

"Goodbye big brother!" Sally shouted as he left, "and don't worry about your room, I'll take good care of it for you."

Outside in his doghouse, Snoopy was also packing the essentials.

_Let's see, supper dish, 'Joe Cool' shirt, sunglasses, typewriter, Woodstock, yup that's everything _he thought. From inside his bag he heard frantic chirping sounds. _Don't blame me for the accommodations, you wanted to come and this was the only way. _

The bus pulled up in front of Charlie Brown's house and he and Snoopy got aboard. Also on board were several of his teammates, including Linus & Lucy Van Pelt, and their little brother Rerun, plus Schroeder & Pig-Pen.

"Excited about the game Charlie Brown?" Linus asked.

"Kind of" Charlie Brown replied "I know this Elwood City team is supposed to be as bad as we are, but what if they beat us anyway?"

"If we lose, we lose" Linus replied, "such is life."

"That's the kind of thing I'd expect a loser to say" Lucy chimed in, "we'd better beat these kids, or we'll be the laughingstock of the city. Well, Charlie Brown will be, anyway."

"What do you suppose the kids there are like?" Linus asked, hoping to distract his captain from Lucy's earlier statement.

"Like us, I guess" Charlie Brown replied, "I guess we'll find out when we arrive."

Next time, Charlie Brown and friends get their first taste of Elwood City and it denizens. Then everyone gets split up and you'll never guess who Charlie & Snoopy get paired with (actually, based on the title, you probably will).


	2. Meet Arthur, Charlie Brown

After a few hours, the bus pulled into Elwood City. Charlie Brown and friends observed the city, through the windows. Lucy was the first to break the silence with her usual tact:

"What's the deal with this place?" Lucy asked, "why is everybody dressed up like animals? It's not Halloween!"

"I agree it is a bit peculiar" Charlie Brown said, "perhaps it's some sort of cultural custom."

"Well it's the dumbest custom I've ever heard of" Lucy replied.

The bus eventually stopped at the baseball diamond and the kids disembarked. Arthur and his team were present, and eagerly awaiting the new arrivals.

"Hey, the kids are here!" Arthur exclaimed. Everyone dropped what they were doing and ran over to see the newcomers.

"Those are the kids we're playing against?" Francine asked, "look at them, they're so weird!"

"Their heads are shaped like beach balls" Binky added, "talk about your goofy looking heads."

"I told you they were aliens" Buster added, "no kids from Earth could look like that."

"Knock it off Buster" Arthur replied, "they're our guests, so we should make them feel welcome."

Of course, Charlie Brown and his crew were surprised by the kids as well. Okay, mainly Lucy.

"Even the kids wear animal costumes!" she exclaimed "this whole city is loony!"

"I'm beginning to think those might not be costumes" Linus whispered to Charlie Brown.

"You might be right" Charlie Brown replied, "but, we are guests here, so we should be polite."

He extended his hand to Arthur, who shook it.

"Hello, thank you for inviting us. My name is Charlie Brown."

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Arthur Read."

"Nice place you have here."

"Thanks."

There was an awkward silence between both sets of kids. Finally, Mr. Frensky decided to break it.

"Welcome to Elwood City, I'm Oliver Frensky, coach of this little team. As you know, each of you has been assigned a team member to live with while you're here. Why don't we get you paired off right now, okay? Lucy Van Pelt, you'll have the pleasure of coming home with me."

"Fantastic" Lucy replied sarcastically.

"Linus, you'll be with Buster."

"What's with the blanket?" Buster asked, "I only mention it cause somebody might make fun of you."

"Hey baby, why do you have a blanket?" Binky asked, "you got a diaper and a bottle too?" He was so busy laughing at his taunt that he didn't notice the blanket shoot out at him like a whip. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground.

"I'm not worried" Linus replied to the astonished Buster.

"And Charles Brown, says here that you'll be going home with Arthur."

"Can we get my dog first?" Charlie Brown asked.

"You have a dog too?" Arthur asked, "I hope he's not vicious."

"No, he's just a bit, well, different."

As if on cue, Snoopy walked by holding his suitcase. He handed it to Arthur, then strolled off towards the exit.

"Your dog?"

Charlie could only nod in agreement.

Eventually, everyone was set up. Brain got Schroeder, Mr. Frensky volunteered to take Rerun, much to Francine's annoyance, and Binky got Pig-Pen. Soon, everyone headed off to their temporary residences.

---

As they rode home in the Read family car, Arthur turned to his new friend.

"I'm sure you and I will have loads of fun together" he said, "just watch out for D.W., she's my little sister and she's super annoying."

"I know what it's like to have a little sister" Charlie Brown replied, "my sister Sally can be a little troublesome at times too."

"Oh, okay then."

After awhile, they arrived at the Read house. Charlie Brown unloaded his bag from the car and Arthur hurried ahead of him to open the door.

"You can stay in my room" Arthur said, "it'll be like having a brother."

Of course, waiting for him on the inside, was none other than D.W.

"Is the new kid here yet?" she asked excitedly, jumping up and down, "let me see!"

"Go away D.W., Charlie Brown and I are going to my room to play."

"Is that him?" D.W. asked, when she finally laid eyes on the mysterious newcomer.

"Hello, you must be D.W." Charlie Brown said politely, "my name is Charlie Brown."

"How come you're bald?"

"D.W!"

"What? I was just asking a question" D.W. replied, "how do you expect me to learn anything if I don't ask questions?"

Arthur ignored her and stormed up to his room, followed by a confused Charlie Brown. Moments later, Snoopy entered the house, still clutching his tiny suitcase.

_Some hotel this is. Doesn't even have any luggage service. _

"Hey, a new dog!" D.W. said, running over to examine Snoopy, "are you the new kid's dog?" Snoopy, of course, said nothing.

"I hope you're better than Arthur's dopey dog" D.W. replied "is that one of Charlie's suitcases? I'll take it up to him" she said, grabbing it and rushing off.

_That's better, I just hope she wasn't expecting a tip. Hmm, I wonder when suppertime is around here? Soon I hope, I'm famished._

In the next chapter, The other Peanuts gang get to know the supporting Arthur cast. Plus Pal & Kate meet Snoopy.


	3. Your dog has a new friend, Charlie Brown

"Hey Arthur, your friend forgot one of his suitcases, so I brought it up for you" D.W. said happily.

"Thanks, now go away."

"You're not the boss of me, Arthur Read!" she replied, "and anyway, I wanna get to know the new kid better. Maybe he'll turn out to be a better brother than you."

"Don't you have dolls you could be playing with?"

D.W. ignored him and approached Charlie Brown, "does everybody in your city have weird shaped heads?" she asked.

"Mom, D.W.'s bothering me and my guest!" Arthur shouted.

"Okay, okay, I'm going" D.W. grumbled, as she trudged out of the room.

"Sorry about that."

"It's all right, she was just being inquisitive. Sally was the same way at her age. In fact, she reminds me of her."

"You like checkers?" Arthur asked.

"I've played with Linus a few times" Charlie Brown replied.

"Then let's play."

---

Meanwhile, at his apartment building, Buster was introducing Linus to the wonders of his room.

"This is where I keep food that I've collected over the years" Buster explained happily. Linus, however, didn't seem to react all that favorably.

"Interesting choice for a collection" Linus replied, trying not to gag.

"So let me ask you something. Are you and your friends aliens? Cause it's cool if you are."

"I assure you, I'm no alien" Linus replied.

"Oh man, I've always wanted to meet an alien" Buster said, "but they never come here."

"I find the idea of aliens to be quite preposterous, actually" Linus added.

"You remind me of my friend Brain" Buster said, "he's always using big words."

---

And over at the Powers' household, Schroeder was entertaining Brain with a performance of a Beethoven standard.

"Very nice" Brain said, "I'm quite impressed that you can produce music of that quality, given the limitations of the common toy piano."

"I've been practicing" Schroeder replied, "do you have any requests?"

"Do you know anything by Koko Taylor?"

---

And over at the Barnes residence…

"I've never seen anything like it" a shocked Mrs. Barnes replied, "no matter how much we try, this boy won't come clean."

"I'm a dirt magnet" Pig-Pen explained, "dirt always seems to find me."

"My friend Buster's kind of like that too" Binky said.

"We'll have to do something about this" Mrs. Barnes added, "Binky, go get our old tent from downstairs."

After he left, she turned to face Pig-Pen "I hope you don't mind spending most of your time here in a tent, but I can't have your dirt spread to the rest of the house."

"It's better than a plastic bubble" he replied.

---

"And this is my room" Francine said to Lucy, "I already share it with my older sister Catherine, so I guess you'll have to sleep on the floor."

"Look at this place, it's so ugly!" Lucy said, "you need an interior decorator or something."

_Control yourself Francine _the monkey girl thought, _she's your guest, resist all urges to punch her… _

Thankfully, there was a knock at the door, so Francine left to get it while Lucy continued to whine.

"Hi Francine" Muffy said, "I heard one of the new kids is staying here. I'd love to meet her."

"Trust me, you wouldn't" Francine said, "the kid's a total brat. It's like she's mean all the time. I've never met someone like that before."

"I'm sure she's not that bad" Muffy said, entering the apartment.

"And another thing…" Lucy began.

"Hi, I'm Muffy Crosswire" the girl said, introducing herself "I'm Francine's best friend, I'm sure she's told you all about me."

"Not really" Lucy replied "I'm Lucy Van Pelt."

"Van Pelt?" Muffy asked, "ooh sounds exotic. You aren't rich by any chance, are you?"

"I wish"

"Too bad, I've always wanted another rich kid to play with. Oh, not that my current friends aren't great."

"Wait, are you saying you're rich?" Lucy asked.

"Very much."

Lucy quickly wrapped her arm around Muffy. "I can tell I'm going to like you" she said.

---

Meanwhile, back at the Read house, Arthur & Charlie Brown were sitting on the couch watching TV.

"So, what do you think?" Arthur asked.

"It's not bad, but it doesn't really make any sense" Charlie Brown replied, "whoever heard of a Bionic Bunny? It seems a little farfetched."

Arthur ignored him and went back to the show. On the carpet at their feet lay Snoopy, Pal, & Kate. The white dog seemed very engrossed in the show.

_I wouldn't want to dance with that bunny _he thought

"So, you're the bald kid's dog" Pal said, "I didn't get a chance to greet you earlier. The name's Pal."

_I'm Snoopy, pleased to meet you. _

"Oh, you're one of those kind of dogs."

"What kind of dog?" Kate asked "what did he say?"

"I had heard of certain dogs that only communicate through thought, not unlike what humans call 'telepathy.' I never thought I'd meet one though."

"So, he can talk, but only through his mind?" Kate asked.

"Something like that" Pal replied, "but since I'm a dog, I can understand him."

"Well, introduce me."

"This is Kate, she's my best friend" Pal told Snoopy. After a few minutes, the yellow dog turned to her, "he says it's nice to meet you, and if you know where he can get some food."

"If we go to the kitchen, I'm sure daddy can make us something" Kate replied.

"I'll admit I am a bit famished myself" Pal said, as he wandered off toward the kitchen, "I hope you brought your own bowl. I realize you're a guest, but I'd rather not share."

_That won't be a problem. _

The three went to the kitchen, where Mr. Read was hard at work. Pal barked at him to get his attention.

"Arthur! Could you please feed Pal, I'm a little busy" he called.

"Okay dad!" Arthur shouted back. He went into the kitchen and got the dog food, pouring some in Pal's dish. "There you go boy" he said, rubbing him on the head. Then he noticed Snoopy, who had his dish held in his outstretched paws.

"How could I forget you?" he asked. He poured some food into Snoopy's dish and headed back to the living room.

"Not bad, eh?" Pal asked.

_Pretty good. _

"So, what do you want to do later? Play a game of fetch?"

_I'll probably be too busy writing._

"You write?" asked the astonished Pal.

_Yeah, but I don't have anything published _Snoopy said, _I'm still working on that novel though. _

"What's he saying?" Kate inquired.

"Um…he said he'd like to play fetch, but he has to roll in the mud instead" Pal replied.

"Too bad."

"Yes, quite" Pal added _something tells me this is going to be one very interesting week _he thought.

Next time, D.W. meets Rerun and falls in love with him. Also, Charlie Brown & co. visit the Sugar Bowl.


	4. DW's in love, Charlie Brown

Meanwhile, D.W. & Mrs. Read were at the park. D.W. and Nadine played in the sandbox while her mom watched from nearby.

"That kid Charlie Brown seems nice" Nadine said.

"He's okay" D.W. replied, "but he reminds me a lot of Arthur. And one of him is too much."

Their line of thought was interrupted by someone asking "can I play?"

D.W. turned to the source of the voice. It belonged to a kid with stringy hair (not unlike Arthur's friend Jenna), wearing overalls and a striped shirt.

"Sure kid, come on in" D.W. said, "name's D.W., who are you?"

"I'm Rerun."

"That's a funny name."

"So is D.W."

"It's short for Dora Winifred, but I don't like that name. Say, you look kinda like that Charlie Brown kid that's living at our house."

"We're from the same city" Rerun explained "my brother Linus is his best friend. And I kind of play on his team."

"That's cool, Arthur never wants me to play baseball with him."

"Weren't you talking to somebody earlier?" Rerun queried.

"Just Nadine" D.W. replied, "she's my imaginary friend."

Rerun extended his hand "a pleasure to meet you, Nadine."

"You can see her?"

"No, but I didn't want to be impolite."

----

Later that day, Charlie Brown joined the Reads for dinner. Snoopy & Pal hovered beneath the table, waiting to grab whatever they could.

"So anyway, I had a really great time with that Rerun kid at the park" D.W. continued "he's much better than my other friends. I wish he lived here."

"I'm just glad Rerun found someone his own age to play with" Charlie Brown replied, "Linus was afraid that bringing him was a bad idea."

"So Charlie, tomorrow I'm going to take you to see the Sugar Bowl" Arthur said, "you'll love it, my friends and I go there all the time."

"Sounds interesting."

"It's not" D.W. replied, "trust me."

----

But despite D.W.'s words, Charlie Brown and Arthur headed there the very next day. By a sheer stroke of coincidence, Buster & Linus were also present.

"Hey Buster, Linus" Arthur greeted them, "how do you guys like living together?"

"It was a little bumpy at first" Linus replied, "but we finally found some common ground."

"Arthur, you won't believe it!" Buster said excitedly "according to Linus, we should be getting presents on Halloween!"

"What are you talking about?" Arthur asked.

"Oh good grief!" Charlie Brown said, but Buster ignored him.

"See, every Halloween, the Great Pumpkin rises from the pumpkin patch and brings toys to all the good boys and girls of the world" Linus explained.

"I can't believe I never knew about this before" Buster added, "to think, I could've gotten presents _and_ candy!"

"Buster, that whole idea sounds ridiculous" Arthur said, "if there was a 'Great Pumpkin', why didn't our parents tell us about him?"

"Maybe they're afraid they'd annoy Santa Claus" Buster suggested.

Arthur was about to explain how stupid the idea was when Francine walked in. She quickly took a seat next to the guys.

"Hey Francine, where's Lucy?" Linus asked.

"I dumped her off on Muffy" Francine replied, "and not a moment too soon. That girl is so rude! Have you guys ever met a ruder person?"

Arthur & Buster looked at each other and slowly began whistling.

"Why are you avoiding my question? Are you saying that I'm rude?"

"Well…" Arthur began.

"I'm not rude!" Francine shouted, "I'm very pleasant to be around. And anyone who says otherwise gets a knuckle sandwich!"

The boys recoiled from Francine's fist, but were thankfully spared her later wrath by the appearance of Muffy & Lucy.

"Hello all" Muffy said, "Lucy and I just had the greatest time."

"We went shopping, and I rode in a limo!" Lucy told Linus.

"How nice for you" Linus replied.

"Lucy really doesn't bother you?" Arthur asked.

"She can be a bit blunt at times, but so can I" Muffy replied, "and I really like her. I'm not sure why, but she reminds me of someone."

"Like Francine…oops!" Buster added, before realizing his mistake.

"What! She's nothing like me!"

"You're right Buster, she is kind of like Francine"

"What are you talking about?" Francine asked Muffy, "why does everyone keep saying that Lucy is like me? She and I have nothing, repeat, nothing in common."

"Yeah, so knock it off, or I'll slug you!" Lucy added menacingly.

Brain & Schroeder soon arrived and took a seat in an adjacent booth.

"Sorry about our tardiness, but I was showing Schroeder the ice cream store" Brain explained.

"Hey Brain, do you ever get in trouble for eating at the Sugar Bowl, since your parents own an ice cream parlor?" Buster asked.

"An intriguing query" Brain answered, "actually, I've weighed that in my mind on several occasions. The most fitting explanation I can offer is…"

"Move it, brain boy!" Lucy shouted, shoving him aside so she could sit next to Schroeder. "Guess what? I have a rich friend now. If you go out with me, I'll give you some money to buy a real piano."

"My music is not for sale" Schroeder said, "and if you're offering the money, even more so."

Lucy grumbled as she headed off to buy a sundae. Brain then resumed his place next to the blonde prodigy.

"I've never met a girl so mean and rude before" he said, "well, perhaps Francine."

"What!"

Brain soon found himself racing out of the Sugar Bowl, an angry monkey girl right behind him.

"Must be off to one of his scientific dealies" Binky observed, as he and Pig-Pen approached the establishment. "You stay out here, and I'll bring you back something. Um, what do ya want?"

"Anything chocolate, it reminds me of mud."

Next time, Peppermint Patty & Marcie make their appearance, and meet a certain curly haired cat and her dog friend. Also, Snoopy tries to go out as 'Joe Cool' and wants Kate & Pal to be his posse (although he doesn't really know what that means).


	5. Patty & Marcie visit, Charlie Brown

Meanwhile, D.W. had "persuaded" her mother to allow Rerun to visit (and when he found out Snoopy was staying at the Read house, that just sweetened the deal). Soon he was playing 'Confuse the Goose' with her and Emily.

"I can't seem to get the hang of this game" Rerun said.

"Here, let me show you how it's done" D.W. offered. She put her hand on Rerun's, and helped him guide the marbles into the goose's mouth. All the while, her smile indicated that she was enjoying every minute of it.

"Thank you. You can let go of my hand now."

"Huh?" D.W. snapped out of her blissful state and returned to her side of the table. When Rerun left to get a glass of juice, Emily turned to her friend.

"You like Rerun, don't you?" she asked.

"Yes, but you can't tell him" D.W. said.

"Why not?"

"Because I want to."

"Have you kissed him yet?"

"No way! Not after all that trouble I had with James" D.W. replied.

"But this is different, this is a kiss of true love" Emily explained, "when you do it, it's an expression of your true feelings."

"Sounds doofy to me."

"Well you have to tell him eventually" Emily replied, "because he'll be gone soon and you might never see him again."

"I never thought of that" D.W. mused.

"Hi girls, would any of you like some juice?" Rerun asked, coming out from the kitchen.

"Rerun, I love you!" D.W. blurted out, then covered her mouth in embarassment.

"Um…okay."

"Really? You love me too?"

"Sure, you're really nice."

"Oh, you've made me the happiest girl in the world!" D.W. replied happily, hugging the stringy haired boy. Then she turned to Emily, "ha, now I have a boyfriend and you don't!"

-----

Meanwhile, a few miles down from where Charlie Brown lived, a brown haired girl was valiantly trying to contact him.

"Pick up Chuck" she said, "come on Chuck, why won't you pick up?" Finally, someone picked up the phone "hey Chuck, I've been trying to reach you all day."

"I'm not Charlie Brown" Sally replied, "he and his baseball team are gone for the week. Some kind of summer something."

"Gone? Where did they go?"

"Some place called Elmwood City" Sally replied, "I don't know where it is though. I have to go, it's almost dinner. Goodbye."

After she hung up the phone, Peppermint Patty began to ponder this new development.

_How could Chuck just go somewhere without telling me? _She thought _and why would he bring his baseball team and not mine? What if he meets another girl while he's there? I can't let that happen! _

"Hi sir, how's your summer?" Marcie asked, as she entered the house.

"Terrible Marcie, Chuck's left town and I have no idea where he is."

"I heard he went to Elwood City as part of the Summer Series" Marcie replied.

"What's that?"

"A tournament sponsored by the local cities. One city invites another's baseball team for a game. Since it's only for teams with bad records, ours was not chosen."

"Well I need to get to this Elwood City, to make sure Chuck's doing okay" Patty said, "after all, he might need my help."

"My father might be willing to drove us there, sir" Marcie suggested.

"Then let's go Marcie" Patty ordered, "and stop calling me sir!"

"Sorry sir."

-----

Back in Elwood City, Snoopy had retrieved his typewriter, when Woodstock popped his head out of the bag. The little bird cursed at him for several minutes before joining his pal on a trip down the stairs. They went outside, where Kate & Pal were playing.

"Are you aware that there's a little yellow bird behind you?" Pal asked.

_Oh yeah, that's Woodstock _Snoopy explained _he's my best friend and secretary. _

"What did he say?" Kate asked.

"He says the bird is named Woodstock. He's his friend, or something" Pal replied.

"Nice to meet you Woodstock" Kate said, "any friend of Snoopy is a friend of ours."

Woodstock chirped a reply. "I guess I don't speak his language" Kate replied.

_He said it's nice to meet you. _

"Woodstock said it was nice to meet you" Pal told Kate, before turning his attentions back to Snoopy. "Is that a typewriter?"

_Yeah, you wouldn't have a doghouse around here where I could put it, would you? _

"I'm afraid not. Arthur's family doesn't mind if I sleep in the house, so I have no real need for one."

_I'll just have to do this on the lawn instead _Snoopy thought. He placed down the typewriter, than began to write _'It was a dark and stormy night…' _

"He sure is an unusual dog" Kate commented "but a talented one."

"And what am I, chopped liver bits?" Pal asked.

----

Later that afternoon, Marcie's father finally dropped her and Patty off in Elwood City.

"Thanks for the ride dad" Marcie said, "Patty and I will make sure we're careful."

"Come on Marcie, we gotta find Chuck!" Patty said, grabbing Marcie by the arm and dragging her off.

The two girls made their way down the streets in search of their friend. While Patty stayed focused on her quest, Marcie took note of the scenery and populace.

"I don't know if you've noticed sir, but the people here appear to be animals" she said.

"Don't be silly Marcie" Patty said, "animals can't drive cars or hold jobs."

"Snoopy can."

"He's different, now be quiet and help me find Chuck."

"Perhaps we should ask one of the locals sir" Marcie said, "they might know where Charles is."

"Good idea Marcie" Patty said, "well ask the next person we see."

As it happened, that person was none other than Sue Ellen, who was walking home with Fern.

"Hey there" Patty said, "me and my friend are new here, and we were wondering if you know this kid."

"What's he look like?" Sue Ellen asked.

"He appears to be bald, and usually wears a yellow shirt with a zigzag pattern" Marcie explained "and his name is Charlie Brown."

"That sounds like the kid staying at Arthur's house" Sue Ellen replied "come on, we'll take you there."

"These people may be weird, but they sure are friendly" Patty added, as she followed the girls, with Marcie close behind.

-----

Not too long after, Sue Ellen, Fern and their guests arrived outside the Read house. Snoopy & Woodstock were still playing outside with Kate & Pal. Then the beagle laid eyes on Fern.

_Who is she? _He asked.

"Oh that's Fern, she's one of Arthur's classmates" Pal replied, "why do you ask?"

_Um…I'll be right back _Snoopy replied, quickly dashing into the house. Meanwhile, Sue Ellen rang the doorbell; the door was eventually answered by D.W.

"Hi D.W., is Charlie Brown home?" she asked.

"We brought some friends of his" Fern added.

"Hold on" D.W. replied, and turned her head back inside "hey Charlie Brown, Sue Ellen and Fern are here with some people to see you!" she shouted.

"Who could want to see me?" Charlie Brown asked. He got up from the couch and made his way to the door, and was very surprised to see Peppermint Patty & Marcie standing there.

"Hey Chuck, you gonna invite us in, or not?" Patty asked.

"P-p-please come in" Charlie Brown replied, although it was clear he was still a bit confused "so, what are you doing here?"

"I missed ya Chuck, and your sister told me you were here on some kind of baseball exchange program" Patty explained "so how are, you sly dog?"

Charlie Brown gulped nervously as Arthur headed to the front to see what was going on.

"More friends of yours?" he asked. CB could only nod.

"I think we're more than friends, aren't we Chuck?" Patty asked, batting her eyelashes. Charlie Brown became increasingly more nervous.

Meanwhile, Snoopy came down the stairs dressed in his red shirt with "Joe Cool" written on it in black and shades. He walked over to Fern and kissed her on the hand.

"Aww, what a nice little dog!" Fern said "what's your name, little guy?"

_It's Joe Cool _Snoopy thought _what do you say you and I get out of here and get a root beer? _

But of course, Fern couldn't hear a word he thought. 

"'Joe Cool', that's a weird name for a dog" Sue Ellen commented.

"His name's Snoopy" Charlie Brown explained "Joe Cool is just an alter ego of his. It's kind of hard to explain."

"Would you like a tummy rub, little guy?" Fern asked.

_I guess, but what's your answer on that root beer? _

"I don't know why you want to play baseball here Chuck, this town is kinda weird" Patty said, "all the kids dress like animals."

"I'm not sure they're dressed up sir" Marcie added.

"Anyway Chuck, now that we're here, we'll need a place to stay. I don't suppose this funny looking kid and his family would be willing to put us up."

"Sorry, but I don't think we have any room" Arthur replied.

"You could stay with me" Sue Ellen suggested "I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind."

"I know mine won't" Fern added, "in fact, they'd flip over the idea of me having someone over."

"Okay then, it's settled" Patty said, "I'll see ya tomorrow Chuck" she added, as she and Marcie left with the girls.

"Is she your girlfriend or something?" Arthur asked.

"Not exactly, it's complicated" Charlie Brown replied, "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Well, let's go to Buster's then."

_Is that dog girl coming back? _Snoopy asked Pal.

"No, I don't think so" Pal replied, "you want to dig up bones in the backyard?"

_All right _Snoopy replied. As Pal & Kate made their way outside, Snoopy removed his shirt and glasses.

_Famous archeologist Montana Snoopy is looking for buried treasure... _

Next time, D.W. decides to marry Rerun and Pig-Pen annoys the Tough Customers.


	6. DW's getting married, Charlie Brown

Meanwhile, in her room, D.W. was discussing her new romance.

"Being in love is great Nadine" she said, "I don't know why Arthur doesn't think so."

"But Rerun is only going to be here for a week" Nadine reminded her "then he has to go back to his home. What will you do then?"

"I can't believe I forgot that!" D.W. exclaimed "what can I do? I can't let the perfect guy get away! Maybe I could move into his house. No, then I'd have to deal with his really mean sister."

Suddenly, an idea popped into her little brain.

"I've got it!" she exclaimed "what do two people in love usually do?"

"Kiss?" Nadine asked.

"Well yeah that, but I was talking about getting married!"

"Aren't you too young to get married?" Nadine asked.

"I don't think there's an age limit" D.W. replied, "anyway if you really love somebody, you get married, right? That's what my mom always says."

"That does sound right."

"Okay, now all I have to do is ask him" D.W. said.

"Isn't he supposed to ask you?"

"Yeah, but he just needs a nudge in the right direction" D.W. answered.

D.W. then headed downstairs to locate her future husband. He was sitting on the floor by the couch, watching _Mary Moo Cow. _

"What does 1 + 4 make?" Mary asked.

"Five" Rerun replied, "I really wish this show would ask some tougher questions. Like the capital of North Dakota."

"I see you like _Mary Moo Cow_ too" D.W. said as she sat down next to him, "it's my favorite show."

"It's okay" Rerun replied.

"Anyway Rerun, I know we've only known ourselves a short time, but I really feel like I know everything about you."

"I don't feel that way."

"And I know we've held hands a couple of times, but I think we should take our relationship to the next level."

"Okay" Rerun replied, "what's the next level?"

"Marriage, silly."

"I don't know, I hear that's pretty hard" Rerun replied "maybe we could try kissing instead."

"Look, we both like each other, right?" D.W. asked "so why shouldn't we get married?"

"We're too young?"

"If you marry me, that means you can live here. You'll be rid of your mean sister and finally have a dog. Now, I agree that Arthur's dopey dog isn't as great as Snoopy, but…"

"Okay" Rerun said, "you've convinced me."

"Oh Rerun, you've made me the happiest girl in the world!" D.W. exclaimed, hugging him tightly "now all you have to do is get me a ring. I don't think we can get married without one."

"What kind of ring would you like?" Rerun asked.

"I dunno" D.W. replied, "whatever kind my mommy has, I guess."

Rerun dug through his pockets "I have this old whistle ring from a box of Crackerjacks" he said.

"That'll do" D.W. said, grabbing it and putting it on her finger, "now I can show it off to all my friends. Now, you stay here, and I'll make all the arrangements. That's what the lady does, or so my Aunt Lucy says."

"Okay, but I have to be back at the Frensky's by six" Rerun explained "they're having dinner then."

D.W. ignored him and made her way up to her room. Nadine was there, waiting impatiently for her.

"Did he go for it?"

"Yup, and check out the ring he got me" D.W. said, proudly displaying it as though it were valuable.

"Oooh."

"All right we need to do a lot of planning" D.W. continued "I need to get flowers, and a cake, and a dress. Oh, and I need to choose my bridesmaids."

"What're bridesmaids?"

"I think they clean up after the bride or something. I just know they're really important."

"Can I be one of your bridesmaids?"

"Sure you can. Now I need to talk to mom to find out what else I need. Wait here."

D.W. hurried downstairs and searched for her mom. She found her in the kitchen making dinner.

"Mommy, can you tell me about weddings?" she asked politely.

"Why the sudden interest?" Mrs. Read asked.

_I can't tell her I'm getting married until everything's ready _D.W. thought, "um…I just wanted to know" she replied "how about you and daddy's wedding, what was that like?"

Mrs. Read sighed, "I remember it like it was yesterday…" she began.

-----

Elsewhere, Binky was introducing Pig-Pen to the wonders of Lakewood.

"This is the school I attend" he said "it's pretty much boring like other schools. Oh, and they won't let you have field trips, no matter how much you ask."

"Looks nice" Pig-Pen said, "I look forward to having the baseball game here."

"Hey Binky, who's the squirt?"

The question was asked by Rattles, one of the members of Binky's bully clique, the Tough Customers. Two other members, Molly & Slink were also present.

"Oh, this is just Pig-Pen. He's from out of town, so he's staying at my house."

"I can see where he got the nickname" Rattles said upon seeing him.

"What's the deal with your head kid?" Molly asked "it looks like a beach ball."

"You're not the first person to mention that" Pig-Pen replied.

"You have a nice look kid, very grunge" Molly added, "how'd you get like that?"

Pig-Pen just shrugged, "I've always been this way."

"Come ta think of it, I saw some other weird-headed kids around here" Rattles said.

"Yeah, they're my teammates."

"And they don't know anything about the town?" Molly asked.

"Nope."

A sinister smile formed on the faces of the Tough Customers.

"Uh, I just remembered, I'm late for a thing" Slink said.

"Me too" Rattles added.

"Yeah and me" Molly said, "see ya later kid." And the three of them dashed off.

"They seem nice" Pig-Pen told Binky.

"Yeah, I figured they were gonna punch you or give you a wedgie or something" Binky said, "I guess maybe they've learned better."

-----

Meanwhile, Arthur & Charlie Brown were visiting Buster & Linus. Buster was giving Charlie Brown the grand tour of his room.

"And this is my bed" he said, "and that's my closet. And those are my dirty clothes, and…"

"You don't really need to show me everything" Charlie Brown replied.

"I know" Buster said, "but I don't have company over very often. Well, except Arthur or my friends."

"If it's okay with you, I was hoping we could get some practice on your field" Charlie Brown told Arthur.

"Okay" Arthur replied "I am eager to see how well your team plays."

------

As they reached the field, they noticed Francine was also present. But she didn't look happy.

"What's wrong Francine?" Arthur asked, "they cancel practice?"

"No, check out what Muffy & Lucy have set up" she said.

Next to the dugout was a wooden booth with the words "Psychiatrist, 5c" written on the top. On the base a little sign read "the doctor is in."

"You're not going to make much money charging only 5 cents" Muffy told Lucy "I still think you should charge a dollar."

"Muffy, what's going on, what is this?" Francine asked.

"You like it? Lucy said she set up one of these back in her own city and it was quite successful. And we Crosswires can't say no to success."

"You can't put this on the baseball field, we need to practice!" Arthur shouted.

"Sorry Arthur, but this is the prime location" Muffy explained "kids come by here all the time, so they're likely to share their troubles. Speaking of which, here comes a customer now."

The blonde rabbit girl with the striped shirt (who, according to Wikipedia, is named Jenny) walked over to the booth.

"Can you help me?" she asked Lucy "I want people to notice me more."

"Wear brighter colors" Lucy suggested "then everyone will see you. That'll be 5 cents please."

Jenny paid her the money then walked off.

"See, it's quite profitable" Muffy said, "so if you want to practice here, please avoid the booth, or you could be sued for property damage."

"I can't stand it" Charlie Brown grumbled.

-----

Later, Arthur & Charlie Brown returned home after practice. D.W. was up in her room and had assembled Emily, Vicita, the Tibble Twins and James.

"Okay, we're here D.W., what's the big announcement?" Emily asked impatiently.

"I'm glad you asked Emily" D.W. replied, "I'm getting married to Rerun."

"You can't get married, you're too young" Tommy said.

"I don't know any rule where it says that."

"They're right D.W." Emily said.

"Too bad you think so, cause I was going to let you be my maid of honor" D.W. replied slyly.

"You were?" Emily asked happily "on second thought, I guess you can get married whenever you want."

"That's more like it "D.W. replied, "now, we've got a lot to do, and little time to do it.

Vicita, you're one of my bridesmaids. My mommy said they're good friends of the bride."

"Can we be bridesmaids?" Timmy asked.

"Sorry, bridesmaids have to be girls" D.W. explained "but you and James are in charge of throwing Rerun his bachelor party. But don't bring a slipper, mommy says they're bad for some reason."

"How come?" Tommy asked.

"Beats me, adults are weird sometimes" D.W. replied, "now, I'm gonna go see if Arthur will make the invitations for me. You guys get whatever you can ready."

D.W. left and headed over to Arthur's room. He and Charlie Brown were sitting around when he noticed her.

"Now what D.W.?"

"Can't a girl just spend time with her favorite brother in the whole world?" D.W. asked sweetly.

"Okay, now I know you want something" Arthur replied.

"I need you to write the invitations for my wedding" D.W. explained.

"What?! You can't get married D.W., you're too young! And who are you marrying anyway?"

"Rerun, and I can marry whenever I feel like it!" D.W. shouted.

"D.W., you are not getting married, end of story" Arthur said, "did you even tell mom and dad about this?"

"They'll know when the time is right" she replied, "now are you going to help me or not?"

"No way, I'm not getting sucked into your crazy fantasy" Arthur said.

"You're just jealous cause you're not getting married" D.W. replied "and if you keep acting like a big jerk, Francine or Sue Ellen will never marry you."

"I don't like Francine or Sue Ellen like that!" Arthur shouted, "and get out of my room!"

"Fine, but you're not invited to the wedding!" D.W. yelled as she stormed out. Moments later, she craned her head back in the room "you're still invited Charlie Brown" she said "because you're nice, unlike some **older brothers** I could mention."

After she left again, Charlie Brown turned to the exasperated Arthur. "Your sister is very interesting" he said, "she reminds me a lot of my sister, Sally."

"I feel sorry for you" Arthur replied.

----------

Next time, the Tibbles throw Rerun a very lame "bachelor party", Charlie Brown & Linus run afoul of the Tough Customers and Lucy continues to scam…I mean help, the denizens of Elwood City.


	7. It's General Mayhem, Charlie Brown

Over at the Read household, Pal, Kate, Amigo and Snoopy were playing. Or at least, they thought Snoopy was.

_The World War I flying ace finds himself stranded behind enemy territory _Snoopy thought to himself. He was dressed in his signature green aviators cap with brown goggles and a red scarf.

"What's he doing?" Kate asked curiously.

"I believe he's pretending as though he's some type of pilot" Pal replied, "though I can't figure out why."

_The Red Baron shot down my plane, leaving me here with only my mechanic, a showgirl, and a gruff Mexican for company. We've got to keep together, the enemy could be everywhere_.

Just then, Snoopy noticed a German soldier heading right for him.

_I've been seen! _He exclaimed _my only hope is this grenade… _

He pulled the pin on the grenade and threw it at the German. Or at least, that was what he thought happened. Instead, he had chucked Woodstock at D.W.

"Hey, what did I ever do to you?" she asked angrily.

_Maybe I can attempt to negotiate with this one _Snoopy thought. He opened his mouth to speak but only gibberish came out.

"You're weird, but still way better than Pal" D.W. commented before she walked off.

_Ha, I scared him off. Looks like this might go easier than I thought._

"What precisely were you doing back there?" Pal asked.

_No time for chatter, you've got to get the plane repaired so we can get out of here_ Snoopy explained.

"Plane? What are you on about?" a confused Pal wondered.

_I'll scout ahead and see if I can find any food _Snoopy told him, before walking off.

"Where's he going?" Kate asked.

"He said something about scouting ahead to get food" Pal explained "and he wanted me to fix his plane. Something tells me that dog isn't quite right in the head."

"I could have told you that" Amigo added.

"I think he's just playing" Kate explained "he's our guest, so let's humor him."

"I'd much rather prefer to play a game of catch."

But Kate had ignored him and crawled off to meet up with Snoopy. Amigo followed suit and ran off.

"Wait for me!" Pal shouted, bounding to keep up with her.

---

Later that day, Charlie Brown & Linus went to meet Buster & Arthur at the Sugar Bowl. However, they ran into an obstacle on their way there. Three very large obstacles, to be precise.

"Well, look what we've got here" Rattles said.

"You're more of those out of town kids" Molly said "what's the deal with your heads anyway? Are your parents beach balls?"

"I'm not sure what our heads have to do with anything" Charlie Brown replied "anyway, if you don't mind, we have somewhere to be, so if you could…"

"You two can't get past till you pay the toll" Slink said.

"Toll?" asked a confused Charlie Brown.

"Yeah, the toll" Molly said "all out of towners have to pay it."

"But we don't really have any money" Linus said.

"No money huh?" Rattles replied, "well, there is one other way you can pass, but you won't like it."

"Are you sure you just can't move?" Charlie Brown asked.

"Watch it baldy!" Molly shouted, threatening him with a fist.

Charlie Brown sighed, "all right, what do we have to do to get by?"

Rattles & Slink exchanged smirks.

"You familiar with a wedgie?" Rattles asked the two.

---

A few minutes later, Charlie Brown & Linus arrived at the Sugar Bowl. Arthur & Buster called them over, then noticed the large white bulge down the back of their pants.

"What happened to you guys?" Buster asked.

"We ran into some big kids" Charlie Brown explained "they said we had to pay a toll to get by, and when we said we couldn't pay, they wedgied us."

"Sounds like the Tough Customers" Arthur replied "they're always doing mean things like that."

"This is still better than having Lucy pull the football away when I'm about to kick it" Charlie Brown replied.

"She really does that? Wow, she is evil" Buster replied.

"Who's evil?" Francine asked. She had just entered and took a seat next to the boys.

"Lucy" Arthur replied "Charlie Brown was telling us that she pulls the football away before he can kick it."

"That's terrible!" Francine exclaimed "even I wouldn't do that."

It was then she noticed the boys' underwear was riding high.

"Let me guess, you two had a run-in with the Tough Customers?" Both boys nodded "well, stick with me, I'll protect you from the bullies."

"I thought that was Sue Ellen's job" Arthur chimed in.

"She can't do it alone."

"So, how are things with Lucy?" Charlie Brown asked.

"I don't know, she moved out and went to stay with Muffy" Francine said bitterly "no offense Linus, but your sister is a 'witch' with a 'B'."

"I wouldn't use a term quite that strong, but you're right" Linus replied.

"And now all Muffy wants to do is hang out with Lucy, and help her with that stupid psychiatry booth!" Francine said "I'm losing my best friend, and to someone who will only be a bad influence on her."

"If Muffy could get any worse" Buster whispered to Arthur.

"Why don't you talk to Muffy and tell her how you feel" Charlie Brown suggested.

"I'll do that" Francine said, "but if that doesn't work, I may have to sock Lucy in her nose."

"Could I watch if you do?" Linus asked.

---

Meanwhile, back at the psychiatrist booth, Lucy was helping Jenna with a recent problem.

"What can I do to make myself more attractive?" she asked.

"Trade bodies with someone else" Lucy suggested.

After Jenna ran off in tears, Muffy came over to check on the take for the day.

"Twelve dollars, not bad" she said, "now, as your official manager, I just need to take my 30 percent cut."

"Forget it!" Lucy said, "this is my money, I made it and I'm keeping it."

"But I helped set up this little stand" Muffy said "and I deserve my cut!"

"Tough" Lucy said, "I was doing this long before I met you, and I can do it without you!"

"Well, if that's the way you're going to be, then maybe I'll just leave!" Muffy shouted.

"Fine!" Lucy said "oh and by the way, your hair is ugly."

"How rude!" Muffy said as she walked away.

"As if I'd share my money with her" Lucy said "she's so greedy. She was right about increasing the price, though."

---

It was dinner time in Elwood City and the Read family were enjoying a nice meatloaf that Mr. Read had made. D.W. was the first to break the silence.

"Mommy, how much money do we have?"

"I'm not really sure how to answer that question" Mrs. Read replied, "why do you want to know sweetheart?"

"Cause Emily said the bride's family usually pays for a wedding, and I wanted to make sure we could afford mine."

Mrs. Read gasped in shock. Mr. Read spit out his water. Arthur just slapped his head in embarrassment.

"What's this about a wedding?" Mrs. Read asked, a little concerned.

"I'm marrying Rerun" D.W. said "I haven't set a date yet, 'cause I need to get a few things like a dress and some cake. Speaking of which, daddy, would you make the food?"

"D.W., you're not getting married" Mrs. Read said, "you're only four."

"But I love Rerun" D.W. explained "if you love somebody, shouldn't you marry them?"

"Well, ideally yes…" Mrs. Read said.

"So?"

Mrs. Read sighed "D.W., you're just too young to understand love right now. As you grow older, you'll love many boys and one day, you'll find one you really like and marry him. Besides, a wedding is a lot of work. Do you understand?"

"I guess" D.W. said, but she was actually deep in thought. _I get it, mommy & daddy are saying that if I want to get married, I need to find someone else to pay for the wedding. But who do I know who's rich? Well Emily, but she'd probably remind me of that for the rest of my life. Grandma Thora would help me, but I don't know how much bingo money she has. _

---

Meanwhile, over at the Frensky's apartment, there was a knock on the door. Mrs. Frensky answered it and saw Muffy standing there.

"Francine, Muffy's here to see you!" she called.

"Hi Muffy, long time no see" Francine said "shouldn't you be out with your new best friend Lucy?"

"Lucy and I had a falling out" Muffy explained "look Francine, I'm sorry I've been ignoring you for her. I was attracted to her selfish, mean, greedy personality. It reminded me a lot of me."

"That's okay" Francine said "I'm just glad she's only here for two more days."

"Speaking of which…" Muffy began "since she and I are no longer on good terms, I was wondering if your family would be willing to take her off my hands?"

Francine sighed "well, I guess if it's only for two more days."

"Thanks Francine. And I'm sorry about ditching you for Lucy. You're still my best friend."

"And even though you're bringing Lucy back, you're still mine too" Francine replied.

---

While those two made up, over at the Tibble house, Rerun was enjoying his "bachelor party", Tibble style.

"What are we doing here?" Rerun asked.

"I told you, this is your bathlor party, cause you're gonna marry D.W. tomorrow" Timmy explained.

"Okay, so if this is a party, where's the cake, and balloons, and ice cream?" Rerun asked.

"I don't think we have any balloons" Tommy explained "but we've got some ice cream."

"And even though D.W. told us not to, we brought a slipper" Timmy added, holding it up "touch it, it's fuzzy."

"No thanks" Rerun replied.

"Here's some ice cream" Tommy said, bringing in a box of Rocky Road. Once he set it down on the table, he immediately began gulping it down.

"What are you doing?" Timmy asked, "we're 'posed to make sure Rerun gets some."

"Oh yeah" Tommy replied, pushing the box towards Rerun "eat up."

"No thanks."

"Suit yourself" Timmy said, before he and his brother began pigging out again. After watching them for a few minutes, Rerun turned to James, who was the only other guest.

"So, now what do we do?"

"I don't know" James replied, "I only came because D.W. said I had to."

---

While the boys partied, over at Emily's house D.W. was enjoying her bridal shower.

"I don't know why adults call this a shower" D.W. said, "there's no water involved at all."

"Adults sure can be weird" Emily added, "now, open my present."

D.W. tore into the brightly colored package and was excited at what she found inside.

"Wow, a new dress!"

"It used to be mine, but I didn't want it anymore" Emily explained "I figured you could wear it, since every bride needs a beautiful dress."

"Here is my gift D.W." Vicita added, handing her a box, "I hope you like it."

D.W. tore into the box "a hat with feathers?" she asked, confused upon receiving her gift.

"That's an Incan headdress" Vicita explained "my mommy said that it brings good luck to those who wear it."

D.W. ignored her and noticed the lack of boxes. "I wish I had more friends so I could get more presents" she commented.

"There's more to the shower than just presents" Emily explained "we need to go over all the last minute details. What music do you want?"

"I was thinking 'Crazy Bus.'"

"That's not really wedding type music" Emily replied.

"It's my special day, so I can have whatever music I want" D.W. reminded her "and I want 'Crazy Bus'!"

"All right. What are you doing for food?"

"My daddy will probably make something" D.W. said.

"Good, that saves us money" Emily said, "speaking of which, how are you paying for all this?"

I dunno" D.W. said "I asked Grandma Thora and she said 'what an active imagination' and gave me ten dollars. But I don't think that'll pay for everything."

"We're just going to have to cut corners" Emily said "but I'm sure everything will turn out fine."

"It better, or you're fired!" D.W. shouted.

---

_The World War I flying ace is still behind enemy lines _Snoopy thought _his mechanic hasn't been able to fix the plane, and my rations are starting to run out. _

"I don't know what we're going to do commander" Pal told Snoopy "the enemy has soldiers all over the place."

"Maybe I could distract them with my dancing" Kate offered.

_Our only hope is that farmhouse over there _Snoopy thought _on my mark, we run for it. One…two…three! _

The three dogs and a baby ran (well crawled, in Kate's case) across the lawn, finally stopping in front of the farmhouse (actually the Read garage).

_Ok, we should be safe here until I can radio for reinforcements._

"I say, this was more fun than I imagined" Pal told Kate, as they waited outside the garage.

"Si, Senor Snoopy is all right in my book" Amigo added.

"I haven't had this much fun in a long time. Too bad he and Woodstock are only here for two more days." Then she noticed that Pal appeared a little sad, "what's wrong?"

"Kate, do you like Snoopy more than me?" Pal asked.

"What?"

"You just said you haven't had that much fun in a while. And he can do all sorts of things I can't; write, walk on his hind legs, pretend to be a flying ace…"

"Oh Pal, I agree Snoopy is unique, but he could never replace you" Kate replied.

"Really?"

"Of course. He's only here for a week, but you'll always be here when I need you."

"Thanks Kate, I needed to hear that" Pal replied, almost near tears.

_Okay crew, we're going inside that chateau over there for some root beer _Snoopy told them, pointing at the Read house _I think the owner is friendly. _

"As you wish, commander" Pal replied.

"What did he say?"

"He said he wants us to go inside the house for root beer" Pal explained "though I'm not sure you have any."

"I'm sure daddy will fix us something" Kate said, "come on, we don't want to let our leader down."

And they followed Snoopy on his way to the house.

---

Later that day, Arthur and his friends met with the Peanuts gang at the Sugar Bowl.

"Well, tomorrow is the big game" Arthur said, "I'm really looking forward to this one."

"Yeah, we can actually beat these guys" Buster added.

"Don't be so sure, long ears!" Lucy snapped "sure we may have lost every game this season. And sure, our manager is wishy-washy and a blockhead. And sure…did I have a point?"

"Good grief!" Charlie Brown said, burying his face in his hands. Arthur put his arm around him and patted him on the back.

"Don't sweat it Charlie Brown" he said, "everybody used to make fun of me when I was on the team, because I couldn't catch."

"And now they make fun of Fern, cause she can't hit" Buster added. Fern frowned and Sue Ellen roughly jabbed Buster in the ribs.

"Based on our current win/loss records, the results of this game will certainly be interesting" Brain said.

"I've been thinking Chuck" Patty piped in, "since your team is short a couple of players, me and Marcie would be glad to help ya. Wouldn't we Marcie?"

"If you say so, sir."

"Thanks, but I think we can win on our own" Charlie Brown replied.

"But Chuck, my team beats you every time" Patty explained "but with me and Marcie, you couldn't lose. Especially not against these weird-looking kids."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Francine asked angrily.

"Uh oh" Arthur said silently.

"It's just that all you kids look like animals" Patty explained "you're a monkey, and that kid's a bunny, and that one's a dog, and that one" she said, pointing at Arthur "well I don't what he is."

"I'm an aardvark!"

"Really?" Patty asked, "well anyway, I've never heard of a city filled with animal people before until I came here. It's weird is all."

"You're the one who's weird!" Francine shouted "with your round heads and big noses. Sometimes I feel like I want to kick your head into a net."

"That's a little harsh…" Arthur began.

"And another thing" Francine said, ignoring him, "it doesn't matter how good the two of you are, cause our team is pretty good, except for a few players."

"You know, I am right here" Fern replied.

"I really think we should…" Arthur began

"Oh yeah?" Patty asked, interrupting him.

"Yeah!" Francine replied "so bring everything you've got tomorrow, 'cause we'll beat you and send you home to your city of round headed freaks!"

With that, she angrily stormed out of the Sugar Bowl.

"You have to excuse Francine" Muffy told Patty, "she gets mad about the silliest things sometimes."

"Yeah, what difference does it make if we beat you guys" Binky added.

"What makes you so sure you can beat us, dog breath?" Lucy asked.

"Well come on, look at ya" Binky said "one of your players carries a blanket around for Pete's sake! Only babies still have blankets."

"I'll thank you not to insult my blanket" Linus said.

"Nobody insults my brother but me!" Lucy shouted "come on Linus, let's go" she added, grabbing him by the arm and leaving.

"Now that all this fighting is done, what do you say we…" Charlie Brown began.

"Binky does have a point" Buster said, "we could beat these kids."

"Could not!" Patty replied.

"Uh-huh."

"Nuh-uh!"

"I can't stand it!" Charlie Brown cried.

But his complaint fell on deaf ears as all the kids began to argue over which team was better. One by one, they all exited the Sugar Bowl (with the exception of Marcie, who was forcefully led out by Patty), leaving Arthur & Charlie Brown.

"It appears as though our once peaceful relationship has deteriorated into an all-out war for supremacy" Charlie Brown said.

"Good grief!" Arthur groaned.

* * *

Can Arthur & Charlie Brown get their friends to make up before the big game, or will the anger carry over? Also, D.W. has her wedding, but soon finds out why four-year olds shouldn't get married. See all this in the final chapter of "Good Grief, Arthur!"


	8. It's the Big Game, Charlie Brown

And so the day of the big baseball game finally arrived. Despite efforts from Arthur & Charlie Brown, the two teams refused to talk to each other (due to the stubborn nature of Francine and Patty/Lucy).

"We're gonna show those animal kids what for!" Lucy said to the rest of the team.

"Yeah!" most of them replied.

"They can't insult us and get away with it!"

"People insult me all the time and you always let them get away with it" Charlie Brown explained.

"That's cause you're a blockhead" Lucy said "besides, those kids weren't our guests."

"That doesn't mean anything" Charlie Brown replied.

"I dunno about you Chuck, but I wanna show up that Francine girl" Patty explained "who does she think she is, anyway?"

------

Over at the Elwood City dugout, Francine was wondering the same thing.

"Who does that big-nosed girl think she is?" she asked Muffy & Sue Ellen.

"A very rude person, that's who" Muffy replied.

Sue Ellen nodded "yeah, there's something about her that seems so familiar. It's like I know someone who's exactly like her."

"Well I want you to strike them out Francine" Muffy said, "that Lucy needs to be taught a lesson for trying to cheat Mary Alice Crosswire!"

"Don't worry Muffy, I'll give her a fastball just for you" Francine replied.

"And I'll bat one out of the park" Sue Ellen added "but for the team, not as a personal favor to you."

While the girls talked, Arthur was trying to convince his male friends to end the feud.

"I don't believe you guys really hate Charlie Brown and his friends" he told them, "this is all Francine's doing. Brain, you enjoyed your time with Schroeder didn't you?"

"I did find his musical renditions to be gratifying" Brain replied.

"I'll take that as a yes" Arthur said, "and Buster, you liked hanging out with Linus, didn't you?"

"Yeah, he was pretty cool, even if he did use big words sometimes. Plus he told me about the Great Pumpkin."

"Remind me to have a talk with you later about that" Arthur continued.

"And I liked Pig-Pen" Binky said "even if he is dirty all the time. It's kinda cool, except my mom didn't think so."

"And I like them, even though I've never interacted with any of them" George added.

"See, there's no reason we can't be friends" Arthur said, "we just need to convince Lucy & Francine."

"But that would be impossible" Brain replied "when Francine sets her mind on something, virtually nothing can change it."

"Well we have to do something!" Arthur exclaimed.

"I do have one suggestion, but it would require someone to make the ultimate sacrifice" Brain piped in.

"Send George, nobody will miss him" Binky suggested.

"Actually, the individual we need is somebody from Charlie Brown's team" Brain said, "although I'm not sure he'll go for it."

"We have to try if we don't want this game to turn into all out war" Arthur said.

-----

So Brain, Arthur & Buster made their way over to Charlie Brown's dugout, careful they weren't spotted by any hostile forces.

"What brings you fellows here?" Linus asked, upon seeing them, "a mission of sabotage, perhaps?"

"Of course not. Look Linus, I know you and Charlie Brown don't really want us to be enemies" Arthur explained.

"It's true, I do find this fighting to be very trivial. I can't even remember what the cause of it was."

"Your friend Patty insulted us" Buster reminded him.

"Oh yeah."

"Anyway, we realize that it's mainly Francine and Lucy who are keeping the bad blood going because they're too stubborn to apologize" Arthur explained "Brain has a plan to fix things, but we'll need your friend Schroeder."

"He's getting his catcher's gear ready" Linus said, "come on."

He led them into the dugout, where Schroeder was putting on his catcher's mask.

"Schroeder, Arthur and the others have a plan to stop all this fighting between our teams" Linus explained "and it involves you somehow."

"I'd love to help, but what can I do?" Schroeder inquired.

"You'll find out, but you probably won't like it" Brain replied.

------

"Those dumb animal kids are really gonna get it!" Lucy said to herself "especially that Francine. I can't stand her!"

As she ranted, Schroeder nervously approached her. When Brain had revealed his plan, he wasn't happy about it, but he knew it had to be done.

_I just hope this solves things _he thought _or I'll never be able to live with myself. _

"And what brings a handsome catcher like yourself here?" Lucy asked, upon seeing him.

Schroeder gulped, it was now or never. "I think you should stop inciting the team to war against the Elwood City kids" he said firmly.

"Are you crazy?! No way, not after what they said! And nothing, absolutely nothing, will make me change my mind!"

"If you apologize, I'll kiss you" Schroeder said, barely able to get the words out.

"Are you serious?"

"Unfortunately" Schroeder replied.

Lucy pondered it for a few minutes. "Okay, but you'd better not chicken out" she said, then left the dugout.

Elsewhere in the dugout, Snoopy was having a conversation with Woodstock and his friend Bill.

_I already told you, I can't get you VIP seating _he explained.

Woodstock chirped something at him in reply

_Because there are no VIP seats. If you want them, you'll have to make your own. _

That satisfied the two birds and they left the dugout in search of planks.

-----

Hoping to get her kiss from Schroeder, Lucy walked over to the dugout of the Elwood City team.

"What are you doing here?" Francine asked coldly.

"Look, I know we each said some hurtful things" Lucy began "and ordinarily, I'd be the last person to do this, but…I'm sorry."

"Don't trust her, she must be up to something" Muffy told Francine.

"Muffy's right, how do I know this isn't some kind of trick?" Francine asked

"Look, I tried to say I was sorry" Lucy replied angrily "if you don't want to believe me, then you can go suck eggs!"

"How rude!"

"You won't be so cocky when we beat you at baseball" Francine added.

"You mean 'if' you beat us" Lucy added "even with our blockhead manager we're still better than you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

With that, both girls stormed off in a huff. Lucy returned to the dugout where the rest of the team, including Patty & Marcie, were waiting.

"Well, did you straighten things out with her?" Charlie Brown asked.

"She wouldn't accept my apology!" Lucy replied "and I was sincere and everything! Well I say the time for talk is over. Now is the time to crush those kids!"

"To be fair Lucy, you're really the only one who wants to crush them" Linus added.

"Yeah, we're not mad anymore" Schroeder chimed in.

"I don't even remember what we were fighting about" Pig-Pen said.

"You bunch of babies!" Lucy said, "you're just going to let Francine get away with what she said to me?"

"Pretty much" Schroeder replied.

"Well I won't!" Lucy shouted "I demand justice, I demand retribution, I demand…" her rant was cut off when Schroeder walked over and kissed her, to the shock of his teammates.

"Now how do you feel about Francine?" Linus asked.

"Who's Francine?" Lucy asked blissfully.

"Thanks for taking one for the team" Charlie Brown told Schroeder, "I know that wasn't easy for you."

"Soap, I need soap!" Schroeder shouted, running off to wash out his mouth.

-------

The big baseball game eventually came and although Francine was still angry, most of the Elwood City kids were ready to play a friendly game with their out of town friends.

Meanwhile, Woodstock and Bill had erected a set of bird sized bleachers, which now contained the latter two birds, as well as their friends, Harriet & Conrad. Woodstock quickly got to work selling bags of birdseed to his friends.

Meanwhile, the two teams took the field, and the Elwood City kids got to see just what they were up against.

"Looks like we don't have anything to worry about" Francine told Muffy "two of their players are a little kid and a dog."

"Can a dog play baseball?" Muffy asked.

_You bet I can sister _Snoopy answered.

------

The baseball game was soon underway. The kids of Elwood City scored several points, mostly due to Lucy's inability to catch the ball, or that Rerun didn't seem to know how to play. Eventually, the score was 10 to 0. Charlie Brown was up as pitcher, with Francine batting for the team.

_Okay, I can do this _Charlie Brown thought to himself _I just need to pitch it so she can't possibly hit it. Maybe I should try a fastball. No, she might expect that. But what if she's not expecting a fastball, but a curveball? Then if I throw a fastball, she won't see it coming. Unless she wants me to think that… _

"Throw the ball, you blockhead!" Lucy shouted.

_I've got to do this _Charlie Brown thought _I'll try the fastball. Maybe I'll get lucky and she'll miss it. _

But of course, luck is never on Charlie Brown's side. Francine connected with the ball, sending it hurtling towards the hapless pitcher, and, as always, scattering his clothes around the mound.

"Vomitrocious!" Muffy shouted, seeing Charlie Brown clad only in his shorts.

"Good grief" Charlie Brown added.

------

The game was soon down to 12 to 10 (Charlie's team had scored a few points, due to the playing skills of Peppermint Patty, and Snoopy catching a ball in his mouth). Charlie Brown was ecstatic.

"We might actually win this one, team" he said, "there's only one out left."

"Let me pitch Chuck" Patty said, "I can strike out any of those kids."

"I object!" Lucy said, "she and Marcie aren't even official members of our team. They shouldn't even be here."

"If it wasn't for me and Marcie, your team would be losing" Patty countered.

"Hold on, I'm the manager, and I decide who plays where" Charlie Brown said "Patty, you can pitch. Lucy, you're in the outfield."

"I'm always in the outfield" Lucy grumbled as the team left their dugout.

The two teams were on the field and ready to play. Patty was pitching for Charlie Brown's team, with Buster batting for the Elwood City team.

"Not Buster!" Francine complained "he's the worst batter we've got. Next to Muffy, that is."

"I told you, they make those bats too big and they're hard to hold" Muffy replied.

"Now Frankie, you know it's not always about winning" Mr. Frensky told her.

"I guess" Francine replied solemnly.

Patty tossed her first pitch to Buster, which he missed. "Strike one!"

"Come on Buster, I believe in you!" Arthur shouted.

"If you make us lose I'll pound you!" Binky added.

Whoosh! The next pitch went by without a hit "strike two!"

"Oh no, I can't watch" Francine said, covering her eyes.

The final pitch was thrown…crack! Buster's bat connected with the ball, sending it flying over towards Lucy.

"Lucy, catch the ball!" Charlie Brown yelled.

But she didn't hear him, as she was too busy looking at one of the flowers on the field.

"I wonder what type of flower this is" she said, just as the ball landed inches from her.

"Aaargh!" Charlie Brown shouted, as Brain ran the bases and scored the winning run for the team.

"Yeah, we won, we won!" cheered the Elwood City kids. Many of them hoisted up Buster and carried him off. Arthur meanwhile made his over to Charlie Brown's team.

"Nice game" he said, extending his hand "you guys came real close to beating us."

"Thanks" Charlie Brown added, shaking Arthur's hand.

"Your dog's not a bad player either" Arthur added "I've never known a dog that could play baseball before."

"He is one of a kind" Charlie Brown replied, looking over at Snoopy. The beagle was currently posing in front of a tiny camera, manned by one of Woodstock's friends.

_I've never been on a 'Birdies' box before _he thought. The bird behind the camera chirped something at him. _No, I've never used steroids _he replied, _I don't even know what they are. _

"Anyway, there's going to be a victory celebration at the Sugar Bowl. You guys wanna come?" Arthur asked.

"I think we can show up" Charlie Brown said, "it'll be a nice going away party."

"Boy I'm going to miss having you around" Arthur said, "it was kind of cool having a brother."

"I had fun too."

The two kids stood there for a while, with nothing to say. Then Arthur broke the silence.

"I guess you'd better come back to my place and pick up your stuff."

As the two boys left, Charlie Brown turned to his companion "so how did that wedding thing with your sister work out?"

Arthur sighed "she's still going through with it, but she wanted to wait until after the game. I don't get her sometimes."

"What was she doing about a minister?"

"She said she found somebody. Probably a stuffed animal or something."

Because this chapter was so long, I decided to divide the end into two chapters. So the next chapter, which will be the last one, will focus on D.W.'s mock wedding and the good-byes of the Peanuts gang.


	9. It's over, Charlie Brown

Later that day, in the Read family backyard, the wedding of D.W. and Rerun was held. Some of Arthur's friends attended the celebration, most notably Buster & Francine, while the entire Peanuts gang was there. Several seats were occupied by Woodstock and his bird friends, who wore bowties for the occasion.

"I don't know why I even came to this stupid farce!" Lucy shouted "Rerun can't really get married, he's only five!"

"I know that, but we're here to humor him, because that's what family does" Linus added.

"That's what a stupid family does" Lucy replied.

An old carpet had been laid out on the grass, and standing in front of it, wearing a white collar, was Snoopy. Next to him were the Tibble Twins, wearing their good suits.

_Legally, I can't marry anyone _he thought _in fact, I'm not a licensed minister. But I do want cake. _

"I have to give D.W. credit, she certainly went all out for this" Charlie Brown told Arthur. The two boys were sitting near the front of the row of assembled chairs.

"Please don't give her anything" Arthur complained "it's bad enough she's still going through with this."

"Don't worry, it's all in fun."

"Yeah? Try telling her that" Arthur replied.

Both boys were interrupted when the sounds of "Crazy Bus" began to play. As Arthur covered his ears, most of the other guests in attendance watched as D.W., flanked by Emily & Vicita, began to walk down the carpet.

"Isn't she a beautiful bride?" Linus asked Lucy.

"Shut up, I'm not doing this!" Lucy shouted "hey kid, wake up, this isn't real!" she shouted at D.W.

D.W. ignored her and kept walking but whispered to Emily "make sure she doesn't get any cake."

She reached the end and discovered that one important thing was missing; Rerun.

"Hey, where's my groom?" she asked "Tommy, Timmy, have you seen him?"

"Nope."

"Emily?"

"He said he'd be here" Emily replied, 'I can't understand what…"

"Sorry I'm late" Rerun called.

Everyone watched as he ran down the carpet, clad in his traditional striped shirt and overalls.

"Why aren't you wearing your suit?" D.W. asked.

"I couldn't find it" Rerun explained, before looking at everything "wow, you're really good at this game."

"Game? What game?" D.W. asked.

"This whole wedding game" Rerun replied.

"This isn't a game. We're actually getting married" D.W. explained "remember, I asked you and you said yes. I can see it now."

She fantasized about what married life would be like. At her house, the much older D.W. arrived.

"Honey, I'm home" she said.

"Hello dear" an older Rerun said "how was work?"

"Hard" D.W. replied "but that's what happens when you're a world famous doctor. How are the kids?"

"They're fine" Rerun replied.

Just then, three children, two aardvark girls and a human boy ran into the room.

"Mommy, mommy!" they cried happily.

"Hello my darlings" D.W. said, hugging them "were you nice for daddy?"

"Yes."

"Good. I hope he made dinner, because I'm starving."

"I made your favorite" Rerun replied "peanut butter and jelly."

"You're the perfect husband" D.W. replied, kissing him on the cheek.

"And you're the perfect wife" Rerun replied.

"I know."

D.W. drifted out of her fantasy and remembered what was going on.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's tie the knot."

"Um, D.W." Rerun began "the thing is, I thought this whole thing was just a game. You know, like house."

"You mean, you don't want to marry me?" D.W. asked.

"Well, you're really nice, but we're too young to get married" Rerun explained "I'd have to get a job, and then I'd come home and complain about it like my dad does. Besides, there's kind of this girl with pigtails in my class and…"

"You mean you liked another girl this whole time?"

"Kind of, yeah. I'm really sorry."

"That's okay" D.W. replied.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was in my room earlier today, looking at all my toys and I realized, if we get married, I won't have any time to play with them. I can get married when I'm older, but there's only so much time to be a kid."

"So, now what do we do?" Rerun asked.

D.W. turned to her guests "change of plans everybody, I've decided not to get married" she said "so you can all go if you want, but any gifts you brought stay here."

"Finally!" Lucy said, grabbing Linus by the arm "let's get out of this crazy place. Rerun, meet us by the Sugar Bowl in an hour."

"Since you're going to leave soon, you wanna play some more?" D.W. asked.

"Okay" Rerun replied and the two headed into the house.

Snoopy, meanwhile, was helping himself to the cake Mr. Read had made for the occasion.

_Too bad the wedding got cancelled _he thought _but that just means more cake for me. _

"Hey Tommy, I bet I can eat more cake than you" Timmy said.

"No way"

"Yes way."

Timmy then tackled his brother and the two kids began to roll in the grass as Snoopy and the birds looked on.

_The kids around here sure are weird _he said, as he cut a piece for Woodstock.

------

Later, it was time for the Peanuts gang to go. After a post-game victory celebration at the Sugar Bowl, the kids gathered to wait for the bus.

"Well, goodbye Arthur" Charlie Brown said, his hand outstretched, "it's been real fun."

"Yeah, it was" Arthur said, shaking it, "and maybe next time we can come to your hometown."

"I'd like that" Charlie Brown replied.

"So long Linus" Buster said "even though you carry a blanket, you're still a cool kid."

"Thanks, you're not so bad so yourself" Linus replied "and don't forget to wait for the Great Pumpkin this year."

"I won't."

"Bye Pig-Pen" Binky told the messy kid "I'm really gonna miss you. You were the messiest kid I ever knew."

"And you're the biggest kid I've ever known" Pig-Pen added.

"Farewell Schroeder, I shall miss your melodious tones" Brain said "and I'm sorry about making you kiss Lucy."

"That's okay" Schroeder said "every artist must make sacrifices for his craft."

_So long Pal _Snoopy said _it was nice meeting another dog I could play with. Please say goodbye to Kate & Amigo for me. _

"I shall" Pal replied "even though you're a very strange dog, I have to admit, I enjoyed having you around. Perhaps one day Kate and I could visit your home."

_Be my guest _Snoopy said _I'm sure you'll love it. _

"So long Rerun" D.W. said, hugging her new friend "maybe we'll meet again and get married when we're older. Until then, I'll never forget our first meeting at the sandbox."

"I remember we made a sandcastle" Rerun added.

"Aaah, good times" D.W. sighed wistfully.

"Well, so long kids" Patty said to Francine, "I'm really sorry I insulted you and everything, I can be a little brash sometimes."

"That's okay" Francine replied "I'm just sorry we never got a chance to interact more during your brief time here. You and I seem pretty similar."

"Really? I don't see it."

"Actually, she's very much like you sir" Marcie added "she's a tomboy and is good at sports."

"I guess she is" Patty replied "and stop calling me sir."

"Sorry sir."

"Anybody seen Lucy?" Francine asked, "I wanted to say goodbye."

"I don't know why you would" Muffy replied "she's so rude."

"I know, but she did kind of stay with me for most of the week" Francine explained, "I owe her that much."

"Yoo-hoo, Charlie Brown" Lucy called.

Charlie Brown looked over and saw Lucy kneeling by the grass next to the Sugar Bowl, holding a round, white ball.

"Hey Charlie Brown, look what I found, a kickball. I'll hold it in place and you kick it."

"No way. As soon as I try to kick it, you'll pull it away, just like you always do."

"No I won't. I always pull the football away from you. But this is a kickball, and I've never used a kickball before. Why would I do that with a different ball?"

_She's right _Charlie Brown thought _maybe this is finally my opportunity. Maybe this is the day I finally kick the ball. _

Charlie Brown ran towards Lucy and the ball. Of course, the instant he got close enough, she pulled the ball away, sending him flying.

"Arrgh!" he yelled, as he landed on his back.

"I was thinking about not pulling it away, but I figured, why mess with a classic formula" Lucy said, as she stood over him.

"I can't stand it!" Charlie Brown moaned.

-----

Eventually the bus came and the Peanuts kids waved goodbye to their Elwood City friends as they headed off.

"Do you think we'll ever see those kids again Charlie Brown?" Linus asked.

"Who knows" Charlie Brown replied "it could happen."

_Well that was a fun vacation, didn't you think so Woodstock? _Snoopy said _Woodstock? Woodstock? Oh that's right, he said he was going home a different way. _

Surprisingly, nobody noticed the tiny bird-filled bus that drove underneath the big one. 


End file.
